Title 23, Law Enforcement and Public Safety

(A) The State Law Enforcement Division shall charge and collect a fee of twenty-five dollars for each criminal record search conducted pursuant to regulations contained in Subarticle 1, Article 3, Chapter 73 of the Code of Regulations. All revenue generated up to an amount of fou…

(A) All law enforcement agencies and court officials must report all criminal data and related information within their respective jurisdictions to the State Law Enforcement Division's Central Record Repository at such times and in such form as the State Law Enforcement Division …

(A) The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) shall serve as the statewide, central repository for log information submitted electronically in real time to the data collection system pursuant to Section 44-53-398(D)(2) and transferred to SLED in order to monitor the sales and pur…

The State Law Enforcement Division is authorized to determine the specific information to be supplied by the law-enforcement agencies and court officials pursuant to Section 23-3-120, and the methods by which such information shall be compiled, evaluated and disseminated. The Sta…

(A) The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) shall create and operate a statewide sexual assault kit tracking system. SLED may contract with state or nonstate entities including, but not limited to, private software and technology providers, for the creation, operation, and main…

The provisions of this article shall not be construed to require or permit the disclosure or reporting of any information in the manner prohibited by existing law.

(A) The "Blue Alert Program" is established within the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The purpose of the program is to assist law enforcement in the apprehension of a suspect who allegedly kills, seriously injures, or abducts a law enforcement officer by rapidly …

(A) In addition to those authorities and responsibilities set forth in this chapter, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division shall have specific and exclusive jurisdiction and authority statewide, on behalf of the State, in matters including but not limited to the following f…

The State Law Enforcement Division is authorized to accept, on behalf of the State, and use in the establishment, expansion and improvement of the system, funds in the nature of grants or appropriations from the State, the United States, or any agency thereof, and may contract wi…

(A) The Center for School Safety and Targeted Violence is established within the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The purpose of the center is to provide extensive training, education, and expertise in the fields of school safety and targeted violence. (B) SLED sha…

In any accident involving injury or death of a person under the age of twenty-one, where there is cause to believe that any beverage containing alcohol was consumed prior to the accident by the person under twenty-one, the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction to investigate…

In any motor vehicle accident involving injury or death of a person where there is cause to believe that an illegal drug or controlled substance was used prior to the accident by any person involved therein, the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction to investigate the accide…

The State Law Enforcement Division Vehicle Theft Unit is authorized to inspect a junkyard, scrap metal processing facility, salvage yard, repair shop, licensed business buying, selling, displaying, or trading new or used motor vehicles or parts of motor vehicles, parking lots, an…

Every officer and agent commissioned pursuant to this article shall file a bond, or be covered by a surety bond, of not less than two thousand dollars with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, subscribed by a licensed surety company, conditioned for the faithful performan…

There is created a Missing Person Information Center, hereinafter referred to as MPIC, to be located in Columbia as a part of the State Law Enforcement Division. The purpose of the MPIC is to serve as a central repository for information regarding missing persons and missing and …

For the purposes of this article: (1) "Missing child" means any individual who is under the age of seventeen years whose temporary or permanent residence is in South Carolina, or is believed to be in South Carolina, whose location has not been determined, and who has been reporte…

The MPIC is under the direction of the Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division and may be organized and structured in a manner as the Chief deems appropriate to ensure that the objectives of the MPIC are achieved. The Chief may employ those MPIC personnel as the General Assem…

The MPIC shall promulgate regulations prescribing: (a) procedures for accepting and disseminating information maintained at the MPIC; (b) the confidentiality of the data and information, including the missing person report, maintained by the MPIC; (c) the proper disposition of al…

Any parent, spouse, guardian, legal custodian, public or private agency or entity, or any person responsible for a missing person, may submit a missing person report to the MPIC on any missing child or missing person, regardless of the circumstances, after having first submitted …

The Chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division may assign personnel of the division to particular areas of enforcement as appropriate for the enforcement of the laws and regulations of this State which the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is charged with enforcin…

A law enforcement agency, upon receipt of a missing person report by a parent, spouse, guardian, legal custodian, public or private agency or entity, or any person responsible for a missing person, immediately shall make arrangements for the entry of data about the missing person…

The MPIC shall: (a) Assist local law enforcement agencies with entering data about missing persons or missing children into the national missing persons file, ensure that proper entry criteria have been met as set forth by the FBI/NCIC, and confirm entry of the data about the mis…

Any parent, spouse, guardian, legal custodian, public or private agency or entity, or any person responsible for a missing person, who submits a missing person report to a law enforcement agency or to the MPIC, after having first submitted the missing person report to the appropr…

The following may make inquiries of, and receive data or information from, the MPIC: (a) Any police, law enforcement, or criminal justice agency investigating a report of a missing or unidentified person or child, whether living or deceased. (b) A court, upon a finding by the cou…

The MPIC may not charge any fee for inquiries made to it pursuant to this article.

All security personnel employed by the State, other than at correctional institutions shall be under the direct supervision of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

The MPIC shall provide a toll-free telephone line for anyone to report the disappearance of any individual or the sighting of any missing child or missing person. MPIC personnel shall instruct the caller, in the case of a report concerning the disappearance of an individual, of t…

Any person who knowingly and wilfully releases, or authorizes the release of, any data, information, or records maintained or possessed by the MPIC to any agency, entity, or person other than as specifically permitted by this article or in violation of any regulation promulgated …

There is created a Missing Person Task Force composed of five members appointed by the Governor. The Governor shall designate a member as chairman. The Task Force shall study information gathered from the MPIC and the FBI/NCIC in order to make long-range plans concerning the gath…

(A) The Endangered Person Notification System is established within the Missing Person Information Center. The purpose of the Endangered Person Notification System is to provide a statewide system for the rapid dissemination of information regarding a missing person who is believ…

All sheriff's and police departments in South Carolina shall make available to the Criminal Justice Records Division of the State Law Enforcement Division for the purpose of recordation and classification all fingerprints taken in criminal investigations resulting in convictions.…

The intent of this article is to promote the state's fundamental right to provide for the public health, welfare, and safety of its citizens. Notwithstanding this legitimate state purpose, these provisions are not intended to violate the guaranteed constitutional rights of those …

(A) The registry is under the direction of the Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and shall contain information the chief considers necessary to assist law enforcement in the location of persons convicted of certain offenses. SLED shall develop and operate the reg…

The State Law Enforcement Division shall promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of this article.

(A) Any person, regardless of age, residing in the State of South Carolina who in this State has been convicted of, pled guilty or nolo contendere to an offense described below, or who has been convicted, pled guilty or nolo contendere, or found not guilty by reason of insanity i…

(A) A child who is fourteen years of age or older and who has been adjudicated delinquent by a family court in this State for any Tier III offense is required to register in accordance with this article. (B) A child who is fourteen years of age or older and has been adjudicated d…

A juvenile convicted of an offense in family court who is required to register pursuant to the provisions of this article who has his record expunged, sealed, or receives a pardon must be removed from the registry by SLED.

(1) Before an offender's release from the Department of Corrections after completion of the term of imprisonment, from the Department of Juvenile Justice after completion of the term of confinement, or being placed on parole, SLED, based upon information provided by the Departmen…

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is authorized to accept fingerprints of applicants for admission to the South Carolina Bar and, to the extent provided for by federal law, to exchange state, multistate, and federal criminal history records with the South Carolina Board…

The offender shall register with the sheriff of each county in which he resides, owns real property, is employed, or attends, is enrolled, volunteers, interns, or carries on a vocation at any public or private school, including, but not limited to, a secondary school, adult educa…

(A) A person required to register pursuant to this article is required to register biannually for life subject to the provisions of Section 23-3-462 and Section 23-3-463. For purposes of this article, "biannually" means each year during the month of his birthday and again during …

(A) After successful completion of the requirements of this section, an offender may apply to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for the termination of the requirements of registration pursuant to this article. If it is determined that the offender has met the requiremen…

(A) An offender may file a motion with the general sessions court to request an order to be removed from the requirements of the sex offender registry act if: (1) He is a Tier I or Tier II offender or if the offender was required to register based on an adjudication of delinquenc…

Any person required to register under this article is prohibited from living in campus student housing at a public institution of higher learning supported in whole or in part by the State.

A person seeking a covered position, as defined in 45 C.F.R. 2540, or who otherwise volunteers or serves in a position supported, sponsored, or administered by the South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service (commission), must undergo a state criminal history back…

(A) It is the duty of the offender to contact the sheriff in order to register, provide notification of change of permanent or temporary address, or notification of change of employment, or in attendance, enrollment, employment, volunteer status, intern status, or vocation status…